Town of Grand Coteau Struggles with Payments, Audit Reveals Delays in Bills and Taxes
BATON ROUGE, La. ( KLFY ) — The Town of Grand Coteau needs to put in some effort to align its accounting processes with fundamental standards, as per an audit report published on Monday by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office .
The audit report, put together by the accounting firm, Kolder, Slaven & Company There were 14 findings, with seven of them being repeats from earlier years.
Mayor Patrick Richard states that town officials are actively addressing all deficiencies outlined in the audit report.
It's an unending struggle, particularly for smaller communities dealing with audits," stated Richard. "It's continuously addressed, likely not only by our team but also by every local government.
The auditor found the town did not have adequate segregation of functions within its accounting system, did not have proper controls in place over its personnel files and did not have proper controls in place over its employee leave records.
The auditor also discovered that the town was tardy in settling accounts with its suppliers, leading to additional late fees and interest charges. Furthermore, discrepancies were noted where the number of work hours shown on employees' pay slips didn’t consistently align with those logged into the digital time-tracking program.
The audit revealed that the town neglected to remit state withholding taxes, report state sales taxes, file state unemployment documents, and send federal tax filings punctually. This oversight led to additional penalties and interest fees being imposed.
The auditors discovered that the town lacked documented guidelines and processes for various crucial areas including budget planning, handling of income and collections, payroll operations, contract management, usage of credit cards, reimbursement claims for travel expenses, adherence to ethical standards, servicing of debts, administration of capital assets, and protection measures for traffic tickets.
The town similarly neglected to regularly and promptly settle its interfund receivables and payables, as well as utility receivables and meter deposit liabilities, alongside failing to maintain accurate records of its cash accounts. Additionally, they did not adhere to their established guidelines concerning overdue utility bills, such as imposing late charges or discontinuing services when necessary.
The town did not manage to release the minutes from all of its public gatherings inside the stipulated timeframe and also fell short of convening a session with its managing committee at least one time per month, which is mandated by legislation.
The auditor also discovered that theTown did not revise its TIF District Fund budget when actual expenses surpassed the allocated amount by over 5%. Additionally, they lagged in paying judicial fees promptly and submitted their audit report late to the Legislative Auditor’s office.
In a management letter addressed to the Town, the auditor highlighted that the gas, water, and sewer funds of the municipality reported operational deficits for the fiscal year 2024. The auditor suggested that authorities explore options such as raising utility charges or cutting costs.
Richard mentioned that the town will dedicate as much time as needed to fulfill all the criteria outlined in the audit.
We encounter inconsistencies each year; this is an ongoing effort we address annually," Richard explained. "When these issues arise, we resolve what we can, as many resemble those from previous years—some require more time. It’s simply something we must continually tackle.
Read the full audit report below.
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